The Night Keely Met (and Drove Around) Ryan Adams!

We staff at the HML try to give performers their space. The worst thing we could do is to get in their face and blab about how much we love them. That’s the last thing they want.

Of course that didn’t stop me from telling Thurston Moore I “loved” him. (What can I say? I may not be a smart man but I know what love is.)

That said, when our respective musical heroes – like, honest-to-goodness heroes – perform, we have to be on our best, non-gushing behavior.

And that’s what Keely did when Ryan Adams performed here back in 2011. Though she was squealing on the inside, she was calm, reserved, patient, sane, and helpful. She let Ryan do his thing.

And that’s precisely what he did, until after showtime, at about midnight. That’s when his road manager approached Keely and said that Ryan wanted to go to the beach. It was September, and it was a brilliantly warm Indian Summer night: could you blame Ryan?

So placidly and professionally agreed to take Ryan Adams to beach.

Furthermore, she had help: her best bud Mike H. who was also unhealthily obsessed with all things Ryan Adams. But he was plalying it cool too. There was just one favor Keely had in mind: she wanted there to be music during the car ride, but she did NOT want it to be Ryan Adams music. After all, he’d be in the car and that’d be creepy.

So Mike got a playlist together to prevent that from happening.

The three of them got in the car and Keely drove to the beach. At some point, however, Mike, who was in the passenger seat, moved or shifted or something, and the iPod fell. It made that weird “shuffle” noise, knocking the playlist off-kilter, and another, non-playlist song came on.

It was a Ryan Adams song.

Mike scurried to change it, but it was too late.

Ryan immediately peeked out from the back seat and breathlessly asked his drivers, “Wow – you like me???”